Congratulations Stephanie Gilmore, 2017 #ROXYpro Gold Coast Champion

The Queen of Snapper Rocks, Stephanie Gilmore, has done it again - claiming her 6th #ROXYpro Championship!

If you missed any of the action, here’s the wrap-up…

As the storms rolled in over Snapper Rocks and the heavens opened on the crowd, it did little to calm the building nerves of fans lining the shore anticipating the final. All eyes were on 6x World Champ Stephanie Gilmore as she paddled out, in what was a deciding quarterfinal heat, against former #ROXYpro Champ, Carissa Moore.

Steph’s 10 point ride midway through the heat ignited the crowd with cheers and sealed her place in the semis. Her intention to hold high another trophy on stage at her home break was now very clear.

The semis saw Californian, Lakey Peterson, walk away with a win over France’s Johanne Defay. Peterson’s performance on the Gold Coast had been a highlight for fans and reaffirmed her position on the 2017 tour after her 2016 season was plagued with injury.

Heat 2 was a nail-biting match up between Steph Gilmore and Sally Fitzgibbons. The two Australians went wave-for-wave for a chance to seal their place in the final. Steph’s superior wave selection gave her the lead with a final score of 16.27 to Sally’s 14.86.

A break in the women’s competition to run the #QuikPro Semis gave spectators a chance to watch the men’s match-ups while also trying to find what little space there was left on the sand in preparation for the women’s final.

Just as the rain cleared, Steph and Lakey made their way through the huge crowd covering every available inch of sand to hit the water. The anticipation of who would be crowned the 2017 #ROXYpro Champion was at an all time high and the girls didn’t disappoint, raising the bar with a battle of wills that drew every last moment of the 35 minute heat.

The momentum Steph built over the previous heats was hard to match and saw the Gold Coast native take the win and the 2017 #ROXYpro Championship in true Steph style, with a big smile on her face.